The Instigator Podcast (Two in the Box)

It's the busiest week of the offseason in the NHL as Seattle has selected their roster via expansion and the NHL Draft kicks off on Friday. We offer a breakdown on Seattle's expansion draft selections along with a discussion on what Buffalo will be looking at with their first two selections of the draft. There's also a quick chat on the trades made on Thursday and a brief Jack Eichel update.

The NHL Draft offered up plenty of drama as there were a handful of blockbuster trades and a few draft picks in between. We break down the Buffalo Sabres trades of Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart, the Chicago Blackhawks addition of Seth Jones and offer an update on the Jack Eichel situation. We also dive in on Buffalo's draft picks and provide a brief primer for free agency as it is set to open on Wednesday.

In the wake of free agency we discuss the latest drama surrounding Jack Eichel, the Sabres and Eichel's agents. We touch on the new information learned about the surgery he's seeking, the statement made by his representatives and where trade talks appear to stand at this point. Later in the show we go over Buffalo's free agency activity and crown the teams we feel have improved (and those who haven't) in the offseason.

Tim Graham of The Athletic joins the show to run through everything that's been happening with the Bills stadium negotiations. From the public posturing to how and where the money will be spent we touch on just about everything that's been discussed publicly and lend some opinions on what the stadium could or should look like once shovels are in the ground.

We are back for another episode and we're discussing Jack Eichel's decision to take on new representation with NHL power agent Pat Brisson. We run down what it means for his current surgery stalemate with the Sabres and the trade rumors that have followed both him and the team since the spring. We also touch on the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet from the Hurricanes and wrap up the show with some thoughts on the current stadium discourse with the Buffalo Bills.

The NHL will be returning to the Olympics and the 2022 Beijing games. We discuss the implications of the NHL's return and the pros and cons of the deal that was struck. Additionally, we talk through the end of the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet and Montreal's acquisition of Chrisitan Dvorak while also running through the new contracts for Casey Mittelstadt and Henri Jokiharju.

There will be actual hockey games played in Sabres uniforms this week as the 2021 Prospects Challenge kicks off on Friday night. This episode runs down the Sabres roster for the tournament and hits on the key players we're looking forward to seeing on Friday and Saturday. Not only do we dive in on some of the bigger names like JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn but we touch on some of the invites on the roster and what's intriguing about them for the weekend. We also touch briefly on the new COVID mandates put in place for Bills and Sabres games this week.

Joe Yerdon joins the show for another guest appearance as we discuss all of the drama from the first day of practice at Sabres training camp. We run through Kevyn Adams' comments to open camp and the decision to remove the captaincy from Eichel. How the Sabres move forward in their effort to trade Eichel and how they're being perceived nationally were big topics for the podcast before eventually moving on to discuss the camp roster and the players we're most excited to see in camp and preseason action.

Preseason hockey is underway and we discuss the progress the Sabres have made so far but through the lens of preseason hockey. We touch on a few players who have stood out so far, including JJ Peterka and Linus Weissbach. The potential goaltending battle between Aaron Dell and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is touched on and we catch up on Rasmus Dahlin's contract extension after missing the chance to discuss it last week.

Rather than run down the usual list of teams we think will succeed this year, we tried our hand at a slightly different format of a season preview. We offer up a trio of potential stand out storylines to keep an eye on for the season and how they could affect the league at large. Before getting to that, we provide a quick update on the latest Jack Eichel news and reflect on where the Sabres stand as they continue to pare down their training camp roster.

As the NHL regular season opens, we chat about the return of hockey to the ESPN airwaves, what it means for the sport and some of the impressive features the network showed off on their initial broadcast. We also touch on the Turner product and our anticipation for that along with some Sabres roster discussion to close out the show.

Very happy to have Joe Yerdon join the show once again, this time to discuss his brand new site, Noted Hockey. Joe and I discuss the new site, what fans can expect from his coverage and even get into some of the nitty gritty of today's hockey media landscape. We also dig in on the Sabres opener and discuss some of the potential bright spots in this rebuilding season.

The Sabres are off to an impressive start and we're here to break down just what has gone right for the club thus far and just how much further they can take it. We touch on some of the stand outs from the team's 4-1-1 start and discuss who might offer them a bit more as the season progresses.

We also discuss the disturbing report on the Chicago Blackhawks investigation into sexual misconduct and the fallout that has followed in the wake of the report being released.

Perhaps the most significant update in the Jack Eichel saga dropped on Wednesday as Kevin Weekes reported an apparent trade package offered by the Calgary Flames for the Sabres former captain. We touch on some of the context surrounding the Weekes tweet, and the likelihood that Matthew Tkachuk would be involved in a deal for Eichel. We also discuss how things could be framed from the Vegas perspective, as the Golden Knights are believed to be the other front runner for Eichel along with Calgary.

But we start the show with further discussion of the Blackhawks case and the newest developments in the wake of Gary Bettman's press conference on Monday afternoon.

We went into emergency pod mode to offer up our reaction to the trade that sent Jack Eichel and a 2023 3rd round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 1st round pick and a 2023 2nd round pick. We offer up our thoughts on the quality of the return the Sabres got and what sort of players you can expect to see in Krebs and Tuch.

The Sabres came back down to earth on their West Coast swing and their struggles to keep the puck out of the net are threatening to make the coming weeks an arduous journey. We discuss some of the struggles Rasmus Dahlin has dealt with and the path back to success for the former first round pick. We also offer up an update on Buffalo's prospect pipeline as a number of prospects are off to great starts this season.

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The Sabres are off to a rough start at the box office. Ranking last in the NHL in ticket sales by a wide margin. We discuss all of the factors that have led to the Sabres averaging fewer than 8,000 tickets sold per game and debate whether or not they can turn a proverbial corner and push their ticket sales back up above 10,000 or potentially higher. We also touch on the situation playing out with the Omaha Lancers and offer up a brief look at the standings and the teams who have impressed thus far, and those who haven't.

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The Sabres are slowly returning to health which means reinforcements are hitting the lineup. While Buffalo isn't back to full health, the return of Victor Olofsson and Henri Jokiharju will help boost the Sabres' lineup and we talk about what's on the horizon for further additions from within. The challenge surrounds how the Sabres and Don Granato will shape Buffalo's lines once more reinforcements come along. Will the additions give the Sabres the help down the lineup or will their forward corps still have holes? We also touch on some of the bright spots that have popped thus far this season, including Tage Thompson, Victor Olofsson and more.

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It was a huge news week in the NHL as the Montreal Canadiens fired Marc Bergevin, cleaned house with the rest of their front office and brought in Jeff Gorton to head up the hockey department. We discuss everything surrounding the moves and the difficulty in Montreal continuing to maintain hiring French speaking executives and coaches. Elsewhere, the Penguins have new owners in Fenway Sports Group and more COVID cases may just threaten the NHL's ability to send players to the Olympics.

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Malcolm Subban has been acquired, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been recalled and there's still no end in sight for Buffalo's issues in net. We discuss what options are left to the Sabres as they navigate an injury crisis to their goaltenders and how it could affect the remainder of the season. Along the way we touch on the latest round of firings as Jim Benning and Travis Green are out in Vancouver and Alain Vigneault has been fired by the Flyers.

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COVID outbreaks continue to impact the NHL schedule as this week has seen a number of teams impacted by positive tests and game postponements. We discuss how these most recent outbreaks are affecting the NHL schedule and what influence it may have on the league's ability to send players to the Olympics. Also on the docket is the impressive play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and how he may be influencing Buffalo's choices in net. Lastly, we touch on the World Junior Championships rosters, the Sabres prospects expected to participate and who we predict to take home gold in this year's tournament.

The NHL has extended their Christmas holiday break in an attempt to curb the COVID outbreak that has swept through the league. The result of the postponed games officially put the NHL past the breaking point on Olympic participation and the league and player's association are expected to make a formal announcement on the withdrawal from the 2022 games soon. We close this holiday edition of the show with a couple listener questions on the Sabres potential deadline moves and what the future might hold for Casey Mittelstadt.

Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka are poised to make their Sabres debuts as the team finally gets back to playing after an extended absence due to the league's COVID influenced pause. We chat about how the pair will factor into the lineup along with another debutant: Alex Tuch. Beyond our excitement with Buffalo's recent recalls, we also chat about the cancellation of the women's U18 World Championships, how COVID has impacted the World Juniors and other topics from the past week in the NHL.

The Sabres have dropped three straight since returning from the holiday break. We discuss the debuts of Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka, offering thoughts on how each looked as they played their first games in blue and gold. We also touch on the roster issues that face the Sabres as they work through what appears to be a growing COVID outbreak in the locker room.

The Sabres goaltending woes have continued for a second-straight season as the injury bug has bitten the team hard. We discuss the most recent injuries to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban and what it means for Buffalo's outlook. We also discuss Jack Quinn's NHL debut and the promise he showed in his first game for the Sabres. The show opens with a discussion of Evander Kane's latest exploits and whether or not the Oilers should be pursuing him as hard as they appear to be.

One half of the Maintenance Day podcast team joined the show this week as Joe Yerdon was back once again. Unfortunately, Lance Lysowski was unable to join for our roundtable discussion. We touch on the Sabres difficult injury luck and how they will be addressing their goaltending pipeline as Devon Levi and Erik Portillo continue to impress in the NCAA. We also touch on the NHL's announcement of rescheduled games and how the stretch run is going to be a challenge for teams to handle as the games will be coming fast and furious.

It's been a busy week in the NHL and we open this week's episode with a conversation over Aaron Dell's suspension and the bind that it has put the Sabres in to with their goaltending. Not only do we discuss how the suspension affects the Sabres but the actions Dell took and if he was deserving of the penalty he received.

Along the way, we touch on the new hirings of Kent Hughes, Patrick Allvin and Émilie Castonguay. The Philadelphia Flyers' recent exploits were also a topic as the club held a press conference addressing their current struggles and the path forward.

We wrap up with a discussion about Owen Power and Devon Levi's future once the Olympics wrap up and just how they can fit into the Sabres roster after the Olympics, NHL Trade Deadline and the completion of their respective NCAA seasons.

We answer listener questions on air, but before we do, we discuss Rocky Wirtz's outburst at a Blackhawks town hall rally and what the fallout could be for the troubled franchise. We also talk about some of the adaptations being made to the All Star Skills Competition and which Sabre player we think would be the best representative at this year's All Star Game.

We wrap up the episode with a handful of #AskInstigator questions from our listeners where we discuss offseason acquisitions, the Heritage Classic and where we see Rasmus Dahlin at the end of his current contract.

The Montreal Canadiens fired Dominique Ducharme and named Martin St. Louis as their interim head coach as they work through a very difficult season. We discuss the Habs' decision to go with a somewhat unexpected hire for their interim coach and whether or not St. Louis will have the inside track to take over in a more permanent capacity. Tuukka Rask called it a career and we celebrate his career while bidding him adieu We also discuss the NHL All Star Game and NHL Skills Competition before closing the show with a brief conversation about the men's and women's hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The main focus of this week's show is Alex Tuch and the impressive impact he's had since arriving in Buffalo. We talk about the underlying numbers he's carrying, the incredible point production and simply how good he's looked taking a step up in the lineup and helping to anchor Buffalo's top line.

We add some thoughts about how Tuch's emergence can help fuel the next moves the Sabres make in terms of free agent or trade acquisitions, and how he's become a cornerstone of the young core they're building with.

Prior to that, we touch on the trade between the Montreal Canadians and Calgary Flames that saw Tyler Toffoli head to Alberta. We discuss Jack Eichel's impending return and the disappointment in not seeing Devon Levi receive any action for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games.

The Sabres will have some work to do in order to reach the cap floor for the 2022-23 season. That will mean some creative moves will need to be made via free agency and the trade market in the coming weeks and months in order to hit the minimum salary cap figure. We run down a list for forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who the Sabres could target to not only fill their cap void, but to help push the team closer to competitiveness for the coming season.

Eric makes his triumphant return to the show to reflect on the humble beginnings of the podcast, what's unfolded over the last 10 years for the show, the Sabres and his career with the Nashville Predators. We talk about a host of NHL and hockey topics, including the fan engagement that's been cultivated in Nashville and some of the big events Eric has experienced with the Preds.

The hockey world has reacted to the war in Ukraine, as Russia and Belarus have been suspended from international play by the IIHF and the 2023 World Junior Championships have been removed from Russia as well. Additional hockey-related sanctions have been placed on the two countries and we discuss the fallout that will come from the actions taken by both sides, from a hockey perspective. We also discuss the new initiatives being take by the Sabres in an effort to re-engage with their season ticket holders and fanbase as a whole. With a new VP of Ticketing, steps are being taken to open new avenues to connect with the fanbase and get butts back in the seats.

The trade deadline is two weeks away and we spend this week's episode discussing where Buffalo's pending UFAs could go and how the Sabres can leverage this year's deadline into even more draft capital for the club. We also touch on Kevyn Adams' public statements about the Sabres ability to weaponize their cap space at the deadline.

Also on the show is a quick chat about the returns of Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel and Sunday's Heritage Classic.

We are bathing in the good vibes surrounding the Sabres this week as we discuss how things have seemingly started to gel for the team and its young core. We discuss the impressive win over the Maple Leafs in the Heritage Classic, touch on the impressive impact that the likes of Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner have on the club and look ahead to next week's deadline.

Our deadline discussion focuses on players the Sabres could attempt to target as acquisitions at the deadline, in hopes of finding another key piece to help build this new core around.

Kevyn Adams stood pat at this year's trade deadline, only moving out Robert Hagg on Sunday. We talk about what the lack of action means for the team as they prepare for the stretch run, how they might fit key youngsters into the lineup and whether or not Adams made the right call by not making additional moves.

We also touch on moves from around the league. Who we felt were the big winners of this year's deadline and even discuss that wacky Evgenii Dadonov deal.

The Sabres pushed their point streak to six games and improved to 8-3-2 in the month of March. We discuss how the continued success of the team could potentially cloud the longer term needs when it comes to making sure the Sabres take the next step in their rebuild. Namely, we discuss the discourse around Craig Anderson and where the team would be had he been healthy for the entire year.

Also on the show is a discussion over the new Buffalo Bills stadium deal and highlights from the NHL GM meetings.

The Sabres celebrated Rick Jeanneret on Friday night and they put on quite a show in the process. We talk about the whirlwind evening and many of the highlights of the team's impressive pregame ceremony, decisive win over the Predators and touching post-game tribute.

We also touch on prospect Devon Levi and the news that he will be returning to Northeastern for his junior season after finishing 2021-22 as a Hobey Baker finalist. Levi isn't the only collegiate goalie the Sabres need to be tracking, as there are signs that Erik Portillo could qualify as a free agent as early as the 2023 offseason. That, plus Levi's return likely puts him front-and-center to the Sabres plans to ink their collegiate prospects.

Jason Moser of PuckLuck.com joined the show this week to discuss the way he applies advanced analytics to betting NHL games and how his model can help give bettors an edge in winning hockey bets. We discuss how he developed the model using common analytics such as expected goals and how those models are applied to determine which NHL games offer the best opportunity for betting wins on a night-to-night basis.

We also touch on how models such as Jason's can be applied to areas such as fantasy hockey. All of the information can be found on Jason's site, puckluck.com, which is free and available to the public. We talk at length about the sort of information he provides on the site and how it is structured to help you win more bets.

Owen Power's NHL career is a week old and we spend some time reflecting on his strong play through the first four games he's appeared in. We also touch on how he and Rasmus Dahlin are rounding out a formidable top-four for the Sabres.

Also on the show is a discussion over Devon Levi and Erik Portillo each returning to school and how that affects Buffalo's decisions in net for the offseason. We wrap up this week's show talking about the introduction of ads on NHL jerseys.

It's another Ask Instigator version of the podcast as we answer a number of listener questions on everything from trading their first round picks and what a lottery win would mean for the Sabres to which player from 2005-06 or 06-07 would we pick up and place on the current iteration of the Sabres roster.

We also touch on Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka's All-Rookie Team nomination in the AHL and discuss Vegas impeding elimination from the NHL playoff race and how that affects the Sabres in the draft.

Matt Keeler and Nick Ciavarella of JustDishin join the show to discuss SkateSkins and the product's introduction into the NHL. They also offer some tremendous insight into the intersection of hockey and fashion and how that evolution has the ability to move the sport forward on a number of levels. This wide ranging conversation touches on a number of intriguing topics, including SkateSkins, a product that made a huge splash in the NHL last week.

Another season is in the books and we look back at the way the Sabres played over the course of 2022-23 and what it means for them going forward. While we don't assign grades to any individual, we break down each of the team's position groups to see where the bright spots were and where the Sabres need to improve most.

We wrap up the show with a brief conversation on the NHL playoffs and which early storylines in the postseason stand out most to us.

The Sabres didn't see their picks move in the NHL Draft Lottery and they will draft ninth and 16th in this year's draft. The only first round pick to be determined is that of the Florida Panthers, which will fall between 28th and 32nd depending on their finish. On this week's show we talk about the lottery results and who the Sabres could be looking at with their top two picks. We also talk about Barry Trotz' departure from the New York Islanders and run through some of the key talking points from the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With the first round of the NHL Playoffs complete, we look at which teams could be looking to make adjustments this offseason and whether or not the Sabres can capitalize on any such moves. We also touch on the signing of Alexander Kisakov and the latest on the Arizona Coyotes arena saga.

We run down both the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals now that the NHL's second round is complete. We touch on the no speed limit Western Conference Final and the goaltending battle that looms in the east.

We also discuss the signing of Isak Rosen and how the Sabres might manage his development in Rochester or Sweden during the 2022-23 season.

Despite their Western Conference ouster, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl put on one of the most memorable playoff performances of recent memory. We discuss whether or not their play would be strong enough to garner attention for the Connn Smythe despite not reaching the Cup Finals.

We also touch on the waves rocking the boat in Boston as Bruce Cassidy was fired earlier this week, three key veterans will miss the start of the season and now rumors are swirling that David Pastrnak may be dealt in the summer. We analyze Boston's outlook in the wake of this news and even find time to talk about Chris Osgood in the Hall of Fame as part of Chris' 11 Day Powerplay fundraiser.

The newest Sabres beat writer joins the show as we welcome Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic to discuss a host of Sabres offseason topics. Matthew offers his thoughts on where the Sabres stand with regard to their rebuild and what moves he expects to see made this summer. We spend some time talking about the key vacancies in net and offer up a few potential targets that the Sabres could pursue. Matthew also provides some insight on what it's been like stepping into a new beat and some of the differences between his previous work covering the Patriots and what he's looking forward to covering the NHL.

For some lighter offseason content we decided to dig into who we deem to be the best draft pick in Sabres history. We considered a few permutations for our discussion as Gilbert Perreault is an obvious and easy answer to lead with. Our conversation meanders through a number of fan favorites and franchise legends as we assess various picks from a number of angles.

The show kicks off with a quick discussion of the latest in the NHL coaching carousel as Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella became the latest coaches to land new jobs.

This week we tackle the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and offer up our thoughts on the postseason. We move on to discuss Alexander Mogilny missing out on induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame once again and whether his resume is enough to get into the Hall in the future. We wrap up with listener questions which go heavy on Buffalo's options in net this offseason.

Chris Peters of DailyFaceoff.com joins the show to offer up a preview of this week's NHL draft. We talk about the wide variance of opinions on virtually every facet of this year's first round. From the first pick through 32, we touch on how wide the range of rankings can be for numerous players. We also touch on Buffalo's trio of first round picks and the players Chris sees as ideal fits at each of those selections.

It's a big draft episode as we look ahead to Thursday's first round and the three picks the Sabres hold. We spend time talking about Ivann Fedotov's situation in Russia and how it could affect teams considering Russians in the first round of the draft. Specifically, Danila Yurov and the smoke surrounding him and the Sabres. We also talk about potential fits at the ninth pick, 28 and even pick 41. All that and more on this week's episode of the podcast.

It's a busy show as we spend a little time talking through Buffalo's draft class before diving into free agency. We discuss the signings of Eric Comrie and Ilya Lyubushkin and how they address the two biggest needs the Sabres had in free agency. We look into how Buffalo's roster makes it more difficult to freely add additional bodies despite having an apparent need to get further clear of the salary cap floor. We offer up a few names who could be wise additions for the team before moving on to a brief conversation over the biggest moves from the opening day of NHL Free Agency.

Chad and Anthony from Expected Buffalo join the show for another roundtable discussion. This time we talk about when the Sabres will be ready to take the next big step in their rebuild and when the right time for it will be. We talk about how this summer has helped shape the next step in their rebuild and look ahead to whether or not next summer will be the time that Kevyn Adams starts making big splashes. We wrap up by touching on the prospects who could be most impacted by future acquisitions and even toss out a few favorites we'd like to see the Sabres target.

As we continue through August, it seemed like a good time to field a few more listener questions. This week's episode tackles a bunch of different topics including the Sabres Reverse Retro sweaters, shoulder patches, goaltending plans, special teams alignments and trade targets. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week's Q&A.

Noah Ennis, goal mask artist and owner of Shell Shock Paint joins the show for an expansive conversation about goalie mask art and the pro clients Noah works with. New Sabres goalie Eric Comrie is among the roster of pro clients Ennis works with in addition to the Anaheim Ducks' Lukas Dostal, John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz, Laurent Brossoit of the Vegas Golden Knights and many other NHL and AHL netminders. Our conversation covered some of the finer details of working with NHL goalies on mask designs and the trends and innovations within the wider industry. Noah's work can be found online at shellshockpaint.com or on Instagram @shellshockco.

Pete Jensen of NHL.com joins the show to offer up a fantasy hockey outlook for the coming season. Pete lends his expertise to discuss which players are candidates to climb up draft boards, players poised for a breakout year in fantasy and which Sabres will carry the most fantasy value this season. We also talk about which rookies will be worth targeting in your drafts and some big picture fantasy draft strategy.

The Sabres, at long last, have announced they will be bringing back their red and black uniforms as an alternate jersey for the 2022-23 season. The team made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that they will wear the jersey 12 times during the year beginning with a November face-off with the St. Louis Blues. We talk about the excitement surrounding the decision and the nostalgia this brings as we reminisce about some of the great memories made while the Sabres wore the Goathead the first time around.

We kick off the show with a discussion on the two contracts the Sabres signed this week as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Tage Thompson each got a new deal from the club. While the UPL deal wasn't a huge news item, the Thompson contract is. We break down some key points on the seven-year, $50 million contract for the Sabres center.

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Kevin Woodley joins the show this week to share his goaltending expertise and talk about the outlook for the Sabres in net for the coming season. We talk at length about Eric Comrie's strengths and weaknesses and his ability to take on a larger workload. Kevin also shares his thoughts on Craig Anderson and how both he and Comrie can work in tandem this season.

We touch on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and, of course, Devon Levi as we wrap up the show. Along the way you'll catch some terrific anecdotes about Ryan Miller and other goaltenders Kevin has covered and spoken with during his time with InGoal and NHL.com.

We kick off another season of the podcast with a conversation about the Prospects Challenge. We run through the highlights of the roster expected to play this coming weekend and even dip into the invites who will be helping to round out the roster for the tournament.

Our conversation touches on some of the expected standouts for the tournament, the unknowns in net and closes with our thoughts on some of the players who could be worth watching for when Sabres training camp opens.

Sabres training camp is right around the corner, with their first preseason game fewer than five days away. The club wrapped up a 3-0 showing at the Prospects Challenge, driven mostly by the play of Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, Alexander Kisakov and Tyson Kozak. It was a strong showing for some of Buffalo's most vital prospects, many of whom will be suiting up for Rochester this coming season.

We also discuss Nathan MacKinnon's new contract in Colorado and the retirement announcements for Zdeno Chara and PK Subban.


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With preseason underway, we reflect on the Sabres first few games of the preseason and what positives can be gleaned from the early action. We kick things off with a conversation about Jason Robertson and how the Sabres could go about acquiring him should the rumors of the connection between the Sabres and Stars bear fruit. We close this week's episode with some listener questions covering a number of topics including line predictions, Matt Savoie and our favorite Sabres of all time.

The spotlight on Hockey Canada has only gotten brighter in recent days as the investigation into how the organization has handled sexual assault claims continues to reveal deeper and darker issues with their operations. We discuss the nature of the claims against Hockey Canada and how recent revelations and announcements have raised new questions about what's next for Hockey Canada and whether or not they're capable of the introspection needed to enact tangible change.

We wrap up the show by digging into the lines the Sabres look set to enter the season with. We touch on the strengths of the lineup and some of the areas where issues may arise. We look at how the roster make up could affect the long and short term roster management through recalls and changes with line combinations.

The Sabres are set to kick off their 2022-23 campaign and we dig into their lineup ahead of the season opener and how we see them faring this season. We look into each position group, determining where the team's strengths and weaknesses lie. We also offer up a few thoughts on the rest of the league as the NHL regular season gets rolling.

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It's only been two games but we are on the verge of Sabres After Dark with Buffalo set to embark on a west coast swing through Canada. We talk about what went well and what went wrong in the first two games and how Don Granato's line shuffling may shift how the Sabres attack this upcoming trip.

Rasmus Dahlin was named first star of the week in the NHL after setting a new record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman to start the season. We discuss Dahlin's impressive start and the other bright spots for the 4-1 Sabres. We touch on the challenges facing Don Granato with recent injuries and other roster needs and look ahead to the final four games of October.

Tage Thompson is on fire, racking up nine points over two games this past week and helping the Sabres further their winning record. We talk about Thompson's breakout and another Sabres center who has been terrific this season: Dylan Cozens. After we discuss the team's top two centers we serve up a few treats at the end of the show in discussing the Arizona Coyotes arena and the new Adidas Might Ducks sneaker and jersey line.

The Goathead jerseys have finally been unveiled by the Sabres ahead of their debut on November 23. We go deep on the new jerseys and our thoughts on the sharp new look. We even toss in a bit on the Reverse Retro uniform to go along with a bit of general jersey buying advice for those of you in the market.

We also discuss the Mitchell Miller fiasco and just how poor of a decision the Bruins made from the decision to sign him right on through to their decision to release him from his contract.

We were overdue for a listener Q&A so we opened up the replies maybe one last time) to gather some talking points for this week's show. Topics include when Kevyn Adams will be moved to make a trade, who might be the first player dealt, some thoughts on Peyton Krebs and which goalie number is the best one. Thanks to everyone who turned in a question for this week's show.

The Sabres losing streak hit eight games after Saturday's loss in Toronto. Buffalo's issues seem to have run deeper as this skid has continued with frustrations mounting and obvious solutions at a minimum. We talk about the problems the Sabres have faced in preventing goals, getting contributions from their depth and even in goal.

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Jakob Chychrun's name has been all over Sabres Nation since Jeff Marek first asked if the Sabres could be a darkhorse contender for the defenseman. We talk about what sort of fit Chychrun would be and lay out the potential trade chips the Sabres would have to offer Arizona in a potential deal. We also ran through a few other topics including the new contract for Roope Hintz and the Sabres moving to terminate Riley Sheahan's contract.

While virtually every aspect of the Buffalo Sabres play has been humming of late, their netminders have been suspect for most of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been given an opportunity to prove his worth to the organization, but early returns have been questionable. Finding a solution that offers the club a true improvement in net is easier said than done. We discuss the shortcomings in goal plus the challenges that will face the Sabres in trying to once again improve between the pipes.

The Sabres have played 28 games and it feels like a good time to take an assessment of their progress thus far. We talk about our choice for MVP, top rookie and breakout performer through the first portion of the year. We also touch on what's been the most frustrating and disappointing aspects of the season to this point.

Also on this week's show: a discussion over the Bo Horvat and Jesse Puljujarvi trade speculation and a brief rundown of the potential Sabres attendees at the World Junior Championships. Plus some thoughts on Matt Savoie not receiving an invite to Team Canada's camp.

The Sabres return home from a West Coast swing with a trio of key victories. They've vaulted themselves into the Eastern Conference wild card race and look poised to take a significant step forward in the ongoing rebuild. The team's impressive run off their previous losing streak hasn't just put them back within sight of a playoff position, but it has reset expectations within the fanbase. As the NHL's highest scoring team with a handful of individual award candidates, the question has become whether or not it's time for Kevyn Adams to take the next step in building his roster. We look at what that could mean for the Sabres and even offer up a few names which would provide an opportunity for improvement in both the short and long term.

We turn the calendar to 2023 and offer up the resolutions we have for the Sabres in the New Year. The Sabres find themselves creeping up on the playoff race in the Eastern Conference and are enjoying impressive seasons from a number of key contributors. With their impressive improvements in mind, we dig into a few areas we hope to see the team focus on in 2023.

We're back to discuss the Sabres continued improvement and some thoughts on how to judge this team as they creep into the playoff picture. We talk about resetting expectations for a team that is still growing in order to remain realistic regarding the outlook for the remainder of the season. We also talk about the back-to-back losses the Sabres suffered and even bring back some conversations about potential arena renovations and just when we may see those plans resurface.

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The Sabres waived Vinny Hinostroza on Wednesday afternoon, opening the door for the team to officially carry three goaltenders on the roster. We discuss the decision to waive Hinostroza, the challenges of carrying three goalies and how this decision affects Buffalo's outlook as they work to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. We start the show with a conversation about Ivan Provorov and his decision to not wear the Flyers Pride Night warmup jersey earlier this week.


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Lots of trade talk on this week's episode as we have a little fun and look around the league to see which teams we would willingly swap Buffalo's roster for. It's a lighthearted exercise but with a sign towards the traits on the current roster which has made this season so encouraging. Before we get to that, we discuss the early rumors connecting the Sabres to Timo Meier and offer up some thoughts on Ryan Miller night. We also dip our toe in the water with some scoreboard watching as the Sabres remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race.


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With the All Star break around the corner, I took some listener questions on trade thoughts, reverse retro jerseys, old hockey brands and much more. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week's show. Looking forward to getting back up and running after the break and the Sabres bye.

Dylan Cozens has signed long-term with the Sabres, inking a seven-year deal on Tuesday. We talk about the deal and how the structure helps the Sabres and how it posiitons Cozens with other recently signed centers around the league. Before that we talk about Jessica Pegula's article in The Player's Tribune which gives an encouraging update over her mom's health, along with some other notable peices of information as it pertains to the Bills and Sabres.

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Buffalo's play after the All Star break has been suspect as the team has dropped four-straight and face two key contests to close out their West Coast trip. We talk about what we feel to be overreactions to the teams' most recent skid and how things look in the bigger picture for the club. We also touch on the latest trade chatter, including two defensemen who could be of interest to the Sabres ahead of the March 3 deadline.

With the deadline just over a week away, we dig into some of the players who have been most commonly brought up in trade rumors and determine which would be a fit for the Sabres and which would be best left for another team to acquire. We also revisit the approach the Sabres should be taking ahead of the deadline given their place in the standings, trade assets and prior comments made by Kevyn Adams. Buffalo's opportunity to serve as a broker was another topic we touched upon as there are a number of high profile targets who would be easier to acquire with an additional team to retain salary along the way.

With just a few days to go until the trade deadline, the Sabres made their first move of the season. We run down the deal Buffalo made to acquire Riley Stillman and offer up some deeper insight on which other players the Sabres may target before Friday afternoon. We also break down the trades that saw Timo Meier, Jake McCabe and Tanner Jeannot move over the weekend and asses where the market stands after many of the most notable names have been gobbled up.

We recap the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and reflect on the busiest deadline for the Sabres since 2015. Each deal the Sabres made over the last week is analyzed as we discuss how Kevyn Adams' roster tweaks can aid Buffalo's push for a playoff position. How the Sabres stretch run will shape up ties into our deadline conversation as the team faces a difficult run in to end the season with a tough hill to climb to sneak into the playoffs.

We also give a rundown of some of the most notable deals that were made at this year's deadline, offering up our favorite, least favorite and biggest surprise.

Devon Levi's season at Northeastern is over and the waiting over when he signs his Sabres contract has begun. We talk about Levi's impressive two seasons with the Huskies and dig in to what the next steps for Levi will look like between now and the end of the NHL season. We also reflect on the Sabres recent losing streak and how this skid affects the outlook on the playoff race ahead of Monday's victory over Toronto.

A combination of poor goaltending, injuries and some more poor goaltending has all but dashed Buffalo's hopes for a playoff push. With the team falling out of the race, and doing so in astonishing fashion, we talk about how this run of play could affect the team's plans for the offseason. We also discuss how the utterly dismal goaltending performances of late could cause Devon Levi to see a bit more action than previously anticipated, or perhaps get his first look at an NHL game earlier than previously believed. We also have a brief Matthew Savoie update as the Sabres' prospect has remained red hot for the Winnipeg Ice and ought to be a hot topic of conversation this offseason.

Joe Yerdon and Lance Lysowski of Maintenance Day join the show for a roundtable conversation on a number of hot topics from around the NHL. We tried something a little different this week and got together for a mock GM meeting that allowed us to tackle a number of topics which we see as ways to improve the league. We touch on off-ice topics like playoffs and the World Cup and on-ice issues like overtime and the shootout.

Thanks again to Joe and Lance joining the show.

Devon Levi has hit the ground running for the Sabres with a pair of impressive starts over the last week. We talk about how impressive his play has been and try to determine how many more games he will see between now and the end of the season. We also touch on Tuesday's loss to the Panthers and the implications it will have on Buffalo's playoff hopes. The show closes with a frank discussion about the Arizona Coyotes and how much more rope the league should be giving the franchise before exploring other options.

The Sabres playoff push came up short and we serve up a post mortem as the dust settles on the chase for a wild card spot. We examine the 2022-23 Sabres season and identify some of the games that stand out most as squandered opportunities to capture points for a team that will so narrowly miss the playoffs. We also look ahead to what could be an exciting and busy offseason thanks to such a promising season.

There are a host of job openings around the NHL with the regular season concluded and we run through some of the most notable firings and departures that have come down. We also run through the NHL Playoffs lineup and provide some thoughts on what will tip the scales in each series this spring.

Round one of the NHL Playoffs are still rolling along and we offer up some thoughts on how the series have played out thus far. In addition, we discuss one of the hottest topics of the playoffs: officiating.

Our main topic is a discussion around a Tweet asking what goal you celebrated hardest for. We offer up a handful of memorable highlights to try to best answer the question posed by the tweet.

The first round of the NHL Playoffs are behind us and we reflect on some of the teams who were dispatched early. We dig in to the potential fortunes of the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers while sprinkling in some thoughts on the Calgary Flames (though they didn't make the playoffs). The show kicks off with a conversation about newly signed prospect, Viktor Neuchev and when we might see Nikita Novikov follow with his entry level contract.

Now that the draft lottery has been drawn, we discuss the Chicago Blackhawks winning the right to pick first and the reaction to their lottery win. We also take a look at the Sabres staying put at pick 13 and determine what options the Sabres will have at this year's draft.

The Conference Finals are set to begin and we run through the matchups in the East and West, giving our outlook on both series. We transition to a discussion about Connor Hellebuyck and the fresh rumors connecting him to the Sabres.

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A BIG week of news saw the Toronto Maple Leafs move on from Kyle Dubas, rumors of move upheaval in the Leafs front office, more movement on the ownership bids for the Senators and continued trdouble in Arizona. We break down each of those stories, speak on the new entry level contract for Nikita Novikov, Matthew Savoie's assignment to Rochester and more on this week's episode.

We couldn't catch up on the latest exploits for the Rochester Americans last week, so we devoted time this week to their impressive run in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Amerks have reached the Eastern Conference Final and are in a tough battle with the Hershey Bears. We run though some of the most notable contributors for the team and even look ahead to how the likes of Ryan Johnson and Nikita Novikov will make an impact in Rochester in 2023-24.

This week also includes a brief preview of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers. We offer up our thoughts on some of the most notable storylines of the series and provide our predictions for this year's Final.

This week, we take listener questions and offer up some reactions on topics such as the Bills stadium project, arena renovations, choices in goal and Buffalo's front office outlook. We kick things off with a breakdown of the three-team trade that sent Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets and a bucket of players and picks to the Flyers.

The Stanley Cup Final has wrapped up and we go deep on the series betwen the Golden Knights and the Panthers. We touch on the dominance Vegas exerted in the series and dig into Jonathan Marchessault's Conn Smythe winning performance.

We also tackle the report that Victor Olofsson expects to be traded this offseason. We discuss the significance of the report and select a few teams which we feel would be good fits for him in a trade.

The Sabres handed out contract extension to Zemgus Girgensons and Lukas Rousek on June 20. We talk about the decision to re-sign both players and dig into where each of them will fit in to the Sabres roster this coming season. Our conversation follows the extensions for both players in addition to how the contracts could affect how Kevyn Adams goes about bringing in new players this summer.

Draft week is here and we dig in on some of the players we think could be targeted by the Sabres with their first round pick and their pair of second round selections. We talk through a number of topcis, including the kick off of the trade activity and whether or not we see the Sabres making a notable move ahead of Wednesday's draft. Our focus on potential draft picks was mostly on picks 13, 39 and 45, though we explore a few names for mid- and late-round selections as well.